Stevie Johnson

Stevie Johnson is Special Assistant to the Vice President of Student Affairs & Advisor for the Black Male Initiative & Fellows Program at the University of Central Oklahoma. Stevie received his Bachelor of Science in Health and Exercise Science and Master of Education in Student Affairs from the University of Oklahoma. Mr. Johnson is currently pursuing his Ph.D in Higher Education Administration at the University of Oklahoma.

Daniela Perieda

Founder of Bilingual Family, a Spanish immersion school for children in Oklahoma City. Daniela helps parents create meaningful relationships with their children while learning Spanish. She believes teachers and families play an important role in the development of the WHOLE child. For this reason, her goal is to create a community of bilingual families!

Frank Evans

Frank D. Evans is a Data Scientist with Exaptive, Inc., an Oklahoma City based data analytics software company. He works heavily with big data technologies with a primary interest in machine learning and feature engineering. Frank additionally is a 2008 graduate of the UCO College of Business with a Masters in Business Administration, and a 2014 graduate of Johns Hopkins University with a Masters Specialization in Data Science.

Jeff King

Jeff King, Ed.D., is Executive Director of UCO’s Center for Excellence in Transformative Teaching and Learning. His research and application interests have long focused on what faculty can do to help students learn, to be motivated toward deep learning strategies, and to persist in their education. A decades-long study of educational beliefs held by faculty and students and how to change the limiting beliefs has found its way into his work at UCO.

John Maisch

John A. Maisch has served as an Assistant Professor teaching Business Law at the University of Central Oklahoma since 2012. Maisch previously served as the General Counsel for the Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement (ABLE) Commission from 2008-2012, and as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Oklahoma from 1996-2001. He graduated from the University of Tulsa Law School in 1995 and Midland Lutheran College in Fremont, Nebraska, in 1992. Since leaving the ABLE Commission in 2012, Maisch’s focus has been on the impact of alcohol policy on high-risk populations. His documentary, Sober Indian | Dangerous Indian, examines Nebraska’s predatory beer sales and its impact on the residents of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Joshua Freeman

Josh Freeman is a graduate student in UCO’s Library Media Education program. He graduated from The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in 2010 with a Bachelor’s degree in Natural Science and a love of interdisciplinary study. His interests have since expanded to span the full spectrum of academic study. As a future school librarian, he is most enthusiastic about his opportunity to build connections between dissimilar subjects to spark student interest.

Katrina Shaklee

During her last semester of graduate school, Katrina Shaklee was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Her degree was in sport administration and she began to dream of an event for athletes with physical disabilities. In June 2000, the Endeavor Games for Athletes with Physical Disabilities was held and has taken place every year since. Shaklee joined UCO in 2004 and is now the Senior Director of the Wellness Center. She was a torchbearer for the Salt Lake City Olympic Games and was a press officer for the Beijing Paralympic Games. She has been listed among The Journal Record’s 50 Making a Difference, and the Oklahoma Hospitality Club honored her as one of ten “Women in the News”. In 2014, David Frisk featured her in his book Legendary Locals of Edmond. This past year, Shaklee was selected as one of Alpha Chi Omega’s inaugural Women of Distinction award winners. She and her husband, J.D. have been married for 16 years

Mark Kinders

Mark Kinders is the Vice President of Public Affairs at UCO. In a private pursuit, he is the vice president of the American Association for Runic Studies. AARS investigates North American runes in affiliation with Uppsala University in Sweden, and the Swedish Council of America, and partners with the Smithsonian Institution and other universities. Kinders holds a master’s in history (University of Wisconsin-River Falls) and a doctorate in higher education (University of Arkansas)

Michael Knopp

Mike Knopp left his successful legal career in 2003 to establish the Oklahoma City University varsity rowing program and assume the position of executive director of the Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation. As a graduate from Edmond Memorial High School, Mike went on to Oklahoma State University where he graduated with a BBA in economics in 1994. He then completed a Juris Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma in 1997. Mike currently serves on the boards of Leadership Oklahoma City, Last Frontier Council Executive Board Member of Boy Scouts of America, USA Canoe/Kayak, Bricktown Association, and Creativity Oklahoma. Mike also sits on the MAPS 3 citizen’s oversight committee for the Oklahoma River projects. Mike and his wife, Tempe, have established a home in northeast Oklahoma City.